UCF Puts All of Its Cards on the Table

Published: Monday, October 14, 2013 at 12:01 a.m.

Last Modified: Tuesday, October 15, 2013 at 1:56 a.m.

ORLANDO | So how good is Central Florida? That seems to be the question as UCF heads to Louisville on Friday to take on a team that is considered by most to be the only legitimate football power in the American Athletic Conference. The Cardinals are ranked sixth nationally in one poll and eighth in the other and in Teddy Bridgewater, they have arguably the best quarterback in college football.

UCF Coach George O'Leary candidly says that at this stage, Bridgewater is ahead of his own quarterback, Blake Bortles. And this is not a put-down of Bortles by any means.

"Right now, he (Bridgewater) has an edge because he has more experience," O'Leary explained. "He has great poise, he's a very smart guy and he gets rid of the ball quickly. He may take a hit but he gets the completion. And those are the things they're looking for at the next level."

There is no doubt the Cardinals are a very good team. When you've got a player like Bridgewater running the show, you can't be bad. So a lot of folks think this game will go a long way toward defining UCF's status on the national stage, because in the AAC, Louisville is the measure by which you are judged.

But maybe we're asking the wrong question here. Maybe the question should be how good, really, is Louisville? The Cardinals have not played anybody as tough as Penn State, which was beaten by UCF. And they certainly haven't played anybody the caliber of South Carolina, which held off UCF at the end of the game to win.

For the most part, Louisville has played a bunch of nondescript nobodies. The best team it's faced is probably Kentucky, which is the worst team in the SEC, or maybe Rutgers. And Rutgers is , well, Rutgers. The truth of the matter is that Louisville is living off one win, a 33-23 victory over Florida in the Sugar Bowl.

Which is not to say that UCF should come into this one pounding its chest. A BCS bowl bid will likely go to the winner of this game, and even if Louisville is not a legitimate top-10 team, it may very well be the best in the AAC. Plus, if UCF wins this and with Louisville bolting to the ACC next year, the Knights could be setting themselves up to replace the Cardinals as the AAC's standard bearer in football in 2014.

Win this, and the Knights will almost assuredly pop up in the nation's top 25 as well.

Unlike its last game, when UCF played sluggishly in what was a last-second win at Memphis, the Knights understand what's ahead of them this week.

"This is a great opportunity for UCF," O'Leary remarked, "and I think our players understand that. People talk about Louisville's weak schedule, but they're doing what they're supposed to do, they're playing who's in front of them and winning. And as I've said, after you get past the first few teams, I don't think there's that much difference between conferences."

The victory over Penn State may have been the best win in UCF history, and the South Carolina game was one of the biggest UCF has ever played. But this one, against Louisville and with a BCS bowl bid almost certainly hanging on the outcome, is the most important. Hands down.

<p>ORLANDO | So how good is Central Florida? That seems to be the question as UCF heads to Louisville on Friday to take on a team that is considered by most to be the only legitimate football power in the American Athletic Conference. The Cardinals are ranked sixth nationally in one poll and eighth in the other and in Teddy Bridgewater, they have arguably the best quarterback in college football.</p><p>UCF Coach George O'Leary candidly says that at this stage, Bridgewater is ahead of his own quarterback, Blake Bortles. And this is not a put-down of Bortles by any means.</p><p>"Right now, he (Bridgewater) has an edge because he has more experience," O'Leary explained. "He has great poise, he's a very smart guy and he gets rid of the ball quickly. He may take a hit but he gets the completion. And those are the things they're looking for at the next level."</p><p>There is no doubt the Cardinals are a very good team. When you've got a player like Bridgewater running the show, you can't be bad. So a lot of folks think this game will go a long way toward defining UCF's status on the national stage, because in the AAC, Louisville is the measure by which you are judged.</p><p>But maybe we're asking the wrong question here. Maybe the question should be how good, really, is Louisville? The Cardinals have not played anybody as tough as Penn State, which was beaten by UCF. And they certainly haven't played anybody the caliber of South Carolina, which held off UCF at the end of the game to win.</p><p>For the most part, Louisville has played a bunch of nondescript nobodies. The best team it's faced is probably Kentucky, which is the worst team in the SEC, or maybe Rutgers. And Rutgers is , well, Rutgers. The truth of the matter is that Louisville is living off one win, a 33-23 victory over Florida in the Sugar Bowl.</p><p>Which is not to say that UCF should come into this one pounding its chest. A BCS bowl bid will likely go to the winner of this game, and even if Louisville is not a legitimate top-10 team, it may very well be the best in the AAC. Plus, if UCF wins this and with Louisville bolting to the ACC next year, the Knights could be setting themselves up to replace the Cardinals as the AAC's standard bearer in football in 2014.</p><p>Win this, and the Knights will almost assuredly pop up in the nation's top 25 as well.</p><p>Unlike its last game, when UCF played sluggishly in what was a last-second win at Memphis, the Knights understand what's ahead of them this week.</p><p>"This is a great opportunity for UCF," O'Leary remarked, "and I think our players understand that. People talk about Louisville's weak schedule, but they're doing what they're supposed to do, they're playing who's in front of them and winning. And as I've said, after you get past the first few teams, I don't think there's that much difference between conferences."</p><p>The victory over Penn State may have been the best win in UCF history, and the South Carolina game was one of the biggest UCF has ever played. But this one, against Louisville and with a BCS bowl bid almost certainly hanging on the outcome, is the most important. Hands down.</p>